Antifriction-bearing.



A. A. WEIGEL.

ANTIFRICTION BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 19M.

Patented J an. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- A. A. WEiGEL.

I ANTIFRICTION BEARING. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1914.

Patented Jan 18 1916 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 fizawmegez/ @FMCE AENoLD 2A. WEIGEL; 0E cHIoA'Go; ILLINo s, ASSIGNOR 'zro 'ALEEET G. wELcH, 0F

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, rrEusTEE E EDWIN s. woo'ns, DECEASED.

ANTIFRICTION-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Ja11.18, 1916.

Application filed April 2, 1914. Serial No. 828,952.

To all whom it may concern .1 p r,

Be it known that-I, ARNOLD A. WEIGEL,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago,,i-n the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andv useful Improvements in Antifriction-Bearings and I'do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descrlptlon thereof, referencebeing-hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of ref-v erence marked thereon, vwhich forma part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in antifriction bearings and particularly to antifriction bearings adapted for use as center bearings interposed between the truck and body bolster'ofa railway car and'in analogous situations. I

As shown' and described herein the improvement is applied to use in connection with a centerrbear'ing for railroad cars, but it will be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto, but is capable of use generally wherever a center bearing of the kind described is used.

The center bearing illustrated is .of the general type described in the patent heretofore granted on the 20th day of June 1911, to Edwin S. Woods, No. 995,835, entitled Antifriction center bearing, but the improvement-to which the present application relates-is applicable't-o other typesof center bearing, as will appear more fully as I pro ceed with my specification.

The invention consists. of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure -1 is a view representlng a vertical central section through a center bearing of the kind described provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a view representing :a horizontal section through. Fig. .1 in aplane indicated by the line 22 of Fig. 1 andlookedat from below as indicatedby the-arrows; Fig. 3 is a view representing a partial vertical section through :Fig. 71 in a plane indicated by the line 33 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the member shown in transverse section in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a view representing a vertical central section-through a center bearing provided with a different type of antifriction; element from that. shown in Figs.-1 and '2. iFig. 6 is a view representing a horizontal sectionthroughFig. 5 as looked at from below. in the direction of the arrows.=

the body and truck bolsters, (not shown) by bolts or rivets extending through the apertures in said flanges. The said members are shapedto form between them a chamber to receive interposed antifriction bearing ele mentsthrough the medium of which the load is transmitted from the upper to the lower bearing member. Said chamber is annular and the upper and lower walls thereof, formed on the lower surface of the upper member and on the upper surface of the lower member, respectively, constitute bearing surfaces 14 and 15 with whichthe upper and lower bearing faces of the antifriction :12 and 13 and are adapted to be secured to element have rolling contact or engagement.

The upper member 12 is provided with an 1 annular boss or hub 16 which engages within a central opening 17 in the lower member and the said boss itself is provided with an annular-hole or opening to receive the usual king-bolt that connects the body bolster with the truck bolster. 18 indicates a plurality of antifriction elements arranged annularly in closely spaced relation between the upper and lower bearing members 10 and 11 with their'longitudinal axes arranged radially to the vertical central axis of the antifriction bearing. Said antifriction elements are of the general type disclosed in the patent to and consists of conical segments having flattenedsides 19, 19 and upper and lower coni- Edwin S. WVoods' herein above referred to cal bearing surfaces 20, 20 which are round- 1 ed transversely and taper toward the center of the bearing. The conical bearing surfaces 20, 20 have rolling engagement with the upper and lowerbearing members respectively, and are provided at their inner ends wlth tr'unnlons 21 for engagement in an annular-recess 22 formed in the boss or hub 16 ofthe upper bearing member for retaining :them in assembled relation within the part of-the annular chamber formed in said upper r bearing member when the. lower bearing member isremoved. The outer ends of said antifriction elements arelikewise supported thrust of each of the antifriction elements in a direction radial to the center" of the bearing, said end thrust "being due tolthe conical formation of the bearing surfaces.

The object of the present invention is'to provide a simple and economical construction adapted not only to withstand this end thrust, but in addition to provide an 'antifriction device capable of greatly reducing the friction which has heretofore existed in this type of center bearing opposing the in' tended rocking'movement of the antifriction element and due to the member in the bearing, which is intended to resist the said end thrust."

In carrying out my invention I provide a plurality of antifriction end thrust memers, one for each antifriction element 18, 7

element so that there 1s no relative move:

each end thrust element being placed in radial axial alinement with its associated antifriction element of the main bearing.

24: indicates said elements. Each element 24' consists of a segment of a ball or sphere having a radius somewhat greater than the radius of'the bearing surfaces of the antifriction element 18 at its outer or larger end.

Said ball segment has flatsides 25, 25'

formed in substantially the radial planes of the sides of the associated antifriction elements 18 and has substantially flat inner and outer faces 26, 27. 28, 28 indicate the spherical bearing surfaces of said end thrust member and the bearing members 10 and 1 1 are provided with annular grooves 28*, .28 which are rounded in transverse section to fit the spherical bearing surfaces of the antifriction thrust members. r

The inner face 26 of the antifriction ele- .ment'is' provided at its center with a recess to receive the trunnion 23 at the outer end 1 the antifriction chamber provided in the upperbearing member. Thus the outer end of the antifriction element 18is supported by its associated antifriction thrust member 24:, and said thrust member by the flange 31 of the upper bearing. member when the lower bearing member is removed.

The operation of my improved antifriction bearing. 1s as follows: Load is transmitted between the upper and lower bear' ing members not only by the antifriction elementsl8 but also by the spherical end tion element and the inner face of the assoload is transmitted through the said end thrust members. As said end thrust members 24 have spherical bearing surfaces, they *have no end thrust themselves so --that5n0 V means is required to compensate for their end thrust,said endthrust members rocking on their axes radial to the center of the antifriction bearing without frictionagainst" f the outer' wall of the confiningchambelnm Said end thrust members, however,-on ac-' count of the load'transmitted to them; do

offer a proportional. resistance, due to friction, to movement betweenthe bearing members in a direction radial to the center'of V the antifriction bearing. ,They aref thus capable of withstanding the end'thrust of their associated antifriction element." At

the same time as they rock on axesfwh-ich are in radial alinement with the axes on bers on their axes, each endthrust member-f H rocks with and to alike angle and at 'the' same time with its associated antifriction 7 ment between the outer end of the antifric ciated end thrust member. .'The end thrust member thus acts not only to resistthe radial outward thrust of the antifriction element,

but also obviates and preventsany friction f tending to oppose the rocking movement'of v i r i said antifrlction element due to s'aid en'd thrust. i

In F gs 5 to 8, inclusive, have show n g modlfied form of my inventlo'n'in which-like 'parts are 'lndicated by the samerefe1-e numerals as heretoforeflused. Theconstruc tion in the said figures is the sameas that I shown in Figs. 1 to 4-, inclusive, e'xcept that j in this case the antifriction elements *are full cones, instead of conical segments with;

direction.

members. The other parts of the bearing are the same-and'the operation and results While in describing my invention I have referred to certain detalls of construction claims. V v

I claim as myinvention: 1. Ina center bearing of the scribed, incombination with a radially dis... posed antifriction element adapted to'trans-x mit a part of. the load", an antifriction end 13;):

thrust member for said antifrictionelementare like those above described.

1 20 and arrangement, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto exceptas may be. pointed out inthe appended i adapted to transmit the balance of the load, said antifriction end thrust member being in coaxial alinement with said antifriction element.

2. In a center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members, a plurality of interposed, annularly arranged, radially disposed antifriction elements, said antifriction elements being adapted to transmit a part of the load between said bearing members, and a plurality of annularly disposed antifriction end thrust members for said antifriction elements adapted to'transmit the balance of the load between said bearing members, said antifriction end thrust members being in coaxial alinement with said antifriction elements.

3. In a center bearing of the kind described, in combination with a radially disposed antifriction element adapted to transmit a part of the load, an antifriction end thrust member adapted to transmit the balance of the load, said end thrust member having a surface engaging with said antifriction element which is substantially equal to the area of the thrust end of the anti friction element, said antifriction end thrust member being in coaxial alinement with said antifriction element.

4. In a center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members and a plurality of interposed annularly arranged, radially disposed antifriction elements adapted to transmit load between said bearing members, and a plurality of annularly disposed end thrust members, placed one at the end of and coaxial with each of said antifriction elements, each end thrust member having upper and lower spherical bearing surfaces adapted for engagement with said bearing members, and to transmit a part of the load between said bearing members, each end thrust member being constructed to engage and oscillate with an associated antifriction element.

5. In a center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members and a plurality of interposed annularly arranged, radially disposed antifriction elements adapted to transmit load between said bearing members, a plurality of annularly disposed end thrust members, placed one at the outer end of and coaxial with each of said antifriction elements, each end thrust member having upper and lower spherical bearing surfaces adapted for engagement with said bearing members, and to transmit load between said bearing members, each end thrust member being constructed to engage and oscillate with an associated antifriction element, and means for supporting said end thrust members and said antifriction members in one of said bearing members.

6. In a center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members and a plurality of interposed, annularly arranged, radially disposed antifriction elements adapted to transmit load between said bearing members, a plurality of annularly disposed end thrust members, placed one at the outer end of and coaxial with each of said antifriction elements, each end thrust member having upper and lower spherical bearing surfaces adapted for engagement with said bearing members, and to transmit load between said bearing members, each end thrust member being constructed to engage and oscillate with an associated antifriction element, and means for supporting said end thrust members and said antifriction elements in said upper bearing member when said lower bearing member is withdrawn.

7. In a center bearing comprising upper and lower bearing members and a plurality of interposed, annularly arranged, radially disposed antifriction elements adapted to transmit load between said bearing members, a plurality of annularly disposed end thrust members, placed one at the outer end of and coaxial with each of said antifriction elements, each end thrust member having upper and lower spherical bearing surfaces adapted for engagement with said bearing members, and to transmit load between said bearing members, each end thrust member being constructed to engage and oscillate with an associated element, and means for supporting said end thrust members and said antifriction elements in said upper bearing member when said lower bearing member is withdrawn, said means comprising inwardly and outwardly facing annular shoulders, formed on said upper bearing member, each antifriction element being provided with trunnions on their inner and outer ends, each end thrust member being recessed at its inner end and provided with a trunnion on its outer end, the trunnion on the inner end of said antifriction element being adapted for engagement with said outwardly facing annular shoulder, the trunnion on the outer end of said antifriction element being adapted for engagement within the recess formed in the inner face of said end thrust member, and the trunnion formed on the outer end of said end thrust member being adapted for engagement with said inwardly facing annular shoulder.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix my signature in the resence of two witnesses, this 24th day of March, A. D. 1914;.

ARNOLD A. WEIGEL.

Witnesses:

GEORGE R. WILKINs, T. H. ALrREns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

